12-Year-Old Arrested in Fatal Stabbing of His 8-Year-Old Sister

Police have arrested the 12-year-old brother of an 8-year-old girl who was fatally stabbed last month in her rural California home, even though the boy told authorities an intruder broke in and committed the crime.

The unidentified boy will be charged with homicide, Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz told reporters Saturday. Police did not disclose any details about what led them to the arrest.

A neighbor corroborated the story, telling detectives she, too, had seen a man running away from the house. The story was later recanted and discredited by police when they could find no evidence of a break-in or robbery.

After more than 2,000 hours of investigation, including door-to-door sweeps of the neighborhood, authorities took Leila's brother into custody Saturday evening.